EVENT! EA’s Soccer & Speed Tour Rolls Into New York City Sept. 28-30

Posted on September 27, 2012 by geelw

Soooo, what are you doing this weekend? If you’re around NYC or are popping in for a bit, you can play two of EA’s upcoming titles and maybe WIN some cool prizes with your gaming prowess. Out of nowhere, a truck rolls up (through a mysterious cloud of smoke optional), opens up and *BOOM!* the gaming gets underway. Playable versions of Need For Speed: Most Wanted (Criterion’s spectacular return to form with a crazy amount of cars and seriously fun multiplayer content that should make any Burnout fan keel over with joy) and FIFA Soccer 13 (depending on who you ask, arguably the best footie game on the market), are headed around the town for three days:

WHEN & WHERE:

Sept. 28, 3 PM – 8 PM: Upper 90 (697 Amsterdam Avenue New York, New York)
Sept. 28, 9 PM – Midnight: Genesis Bar (1708 2nd Ave #1, New York, New York)
Sept. 29, 10 AM – 1 PM: Legends (6 W 33rd St. New York, New York)
Sept. 29, 2 PM – 6 PM: GameStop (2322 Broadway and 85th St. #1, New York, New York)
Sept. 30, 9 AM – 9 PM: Upper 90 (359 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY)
Will I show up to beat some of you into submission or lose terribly to the better man or woman? I’m not quite sure just yet, as I still have a pile of work to get to here. But who knows? Oh, I’d probably lose to anyone at FIFA, as I like watching more than playing. But as for NFS: MW? I did win one journalist’s tourney at an EA press event a while back, so I can at least hold my own at that game.

Dishonored TV Commercial: An Instant Classic Not Going Quietly Into That Dark Night…

Posted on September 27, 2012 by geelw

Arkane Studios’ newest and most impressive game is all done and ready for its close up quite soon. I’m psyched because I just KNOW there will be a few brainy gamers out there who see the game world and all the hard work the team has put into it and “click” into it all multiple times, as the game demands you try everything you can at all times when tackling missions. My only major decision in the end is which version to buy. I’m leaning towards PS3, as my two 360’s are dead and my PC too aged to run anything this new. OK, let me poke around and see if I can find some game screens to turn into an October banner for the site…

Necropolis: Grab This Retro RPG Before It Vanishes Forever

Posted on September 24, 2012 by geelw

I’ll write up a longer review on this awesome RPG Maker 2003 instant classic in a week or so, but check out the video above (ignore the debug stuff at the beginning) and definitely get the game over at RPGMaker.net before its creator, Jude, takes the game down. He’s turning it into a commercial release using MonoGame/XNA, so at some point the currently cancelled version up at RMN will be gone for good. Trust me, the custom 8-bit graphics (which need to be seen full screen, NOT in a window), innovative combo-based battle system (in a turn-based RPG? What the what?!) and overall level of polish make this one of the best NES style RPGs I’ve ever played. OK, let me shut up before this turns into an actual review – go get this game!

Lost Planet 3 TGS Gameplay: Spark Versus Snark (And Spark Needs To Win Big)

Posted on September 24, 2012 by geelw

I’m one of those few waving the flag about how damn good Lost Planet 3 is turning out to be, but par for the course on the internet, there are too many whiners living in the past griping about how the game isn’t EXACTLY point for point like the first two installments. Reading is fundamental, but let me break it down a bit for those who aren’t up to speed. Given that it’s a PREQUEL that will most likely set up some of the events of the other two games, once you get some hands-on time, it’s easy to appreciate the effort developer Spark Unlimited has been putting into the project for a few years now. I liked what I saw in terms of the single player story, the gameplay is pretty tight and the use of Unreal tech is very solid, particularly in the well done cinemas that draw you into the frozen world and the miners who work there. I say a bit more appreciation and a lot less being jaded just to be jaded would help here, but you can’t control others’ intent to somehow NOT enjoy what’s being done to expand their horizons (as well as the potential for future installments in the series). In any event, I’m holding out hope that this dev team and Capcom get some actual credit for what’s going to be a pretty cool experience (at least for me) when the game is released in 2013.

F1 2012 Singapore Hot Lap Video: A Burning Query…

Posted on September 23, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm… given all the restrictions on stuff like walking and chewing gum in public (or more precisely, spitting out that gum onto the street there), I wonder if you can get a fine in Singapore for speeding on a race track? Ha ha. Anyway, before i cause an international incident, let me point you to the lovely video above provided by the fine folks at Codemasters, makers of some mighty incredible racing experiences for quite some time. The game is out now, by the way, so while you’re dashing off to the store to snap up a copy, I shall make good my escape… into the future! *Poof!*

Random Indie Game of the Week: The Frozen World

Posted on September 22, 2012 by geelw

Yes, it’s somewhat ancient for a RPG Maker game, but Lys86’s brilliant The Frozen World is still one of my all-time favorites made with the 2000 version of the popular game creation software. While fairly short (you can complete it in under ten hours), the combination of a unique battle system, memorable plot and some great use of music helps lift this one into the heights of great fan games. In fact, the game feels like something you’d have played back on the SNES or Genesis, but the combat has a nice and rewarding Nintendo DS/3DS “touch screen” experience I’ll get to in a bit.

Continue reading →

F1 2012 Launch Trailer: Going For The Flag at Full Speed

Posted on September 21, 2012 by geelw

Codemasters’ absolutely gorgeous racer should be in shops as you read this. Buy it for the mind-blowing visuals alone and you’re only getting half the story. From playing the demo, this one could be the best console F1 game to date. Even if you’re not big on F1, I say rent the game, dive into learning the ropes and experience a new type of track burner that will eat up your spare time.

WETA Workshop Makes Valve’s Day (And Mine Too)…

Posted on September 19, 2012 by geelw

OK, now THIS is pretty damn cool. Then again, everything WETA does or has done in the past has managed to be beyond awesome. As you can see here, that turret is exactly like the ones from the Portal games (but I bet it can’t sing!). Of course, if you never hear a peep from the company after this and it turns out WETA made the thing TOO well (as in fully functioning and happily psychotic), well… there’s a very awesome one of a kind collectible some brave Portal fan can volunteer to retrieve. Hmmm… that might make a pretty cool mod, huh?

Jet Set Radio Launch Trailer: Lovely, But We STILL Need a Vita Version!

Posted on September 19, 2012 by geelw

Or a 3DS version, for that matter. Or hell, even better, BOTH. Ah well, perhaps we’ll see the day return when Sega just gets it back together and realizes that Dreamcast fans (and most Sega fans in general) have more than one console they like to play the classics on… Anyway, this one should be as awesome as ever, so yup, make it a purchase.

Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer: Not That You’ll Have Any Free Time To Watch It (But You Might Get More Than You Wanted…)

Posted on September 18, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, you know who you are. In fact, there’s a mighty good chance you’re not even reading this because you’re already playing the game. Either that, or, you’re catching up on a few hours of much-needed sleep before you pop out of bed bright and early, call in sick for work with the “flu” or whatever, rush down to your nearest game emporium to snap up a copy of the game and take the rest of the week off.

PROTIP: Stay the hell OFF any social networking site with the bragging rights posting about how long you’ve been playing. Given that the commercials are all over the damn place, your boss KNOWS what’s up, but can’t prove anything if you stay silent and buried under the blankets on Pandora. Screw it up royally by being a braggart and watch it all come crashing down when you join the gainfully unemployed before your tweet or status update gets cold. Just a thought.

And don’t go blaming Gearbox or 2K if you get canned, cowboy – no one told you to be so stupid in this age of TMI when it’s not necessary. Enjoy the game!